AD GRT - vmware snapshot
Hi,
this must be a subject discussed countless of times- regardless I havn't quite found the answers I was looking for.
I am trying to figure out if I can and should backup Active Directory using vmware snapshots, and if it is possible to use GRT with snapshots.
this article firmly states against it: http://techgenix.com/dont-snapshot-domain-controllers-96/
however this old thread I found: https://vox.veritas.com/t5/Backup-Exec/Backing-up-AD-in-a-VMWare-VM-Using-GRT-Causes-Job-Warnings-Safe/td-p/529685
suggests it's fine to use snapshots to backup AD. moreover it suggest that with "active directory agent license installed on the media server" I will be able to use GRT.
so I am left with two main questions:
1) can and should I backup AD with vmware snapshots?
2) what is this "active directory agent license installed on the media server"- does RahulG mean a regular netbackup client installed on the DC or is it an actual agent on the media server capable of expanding the snapshot to restore single users or etc.?
thanks in advanced for the help
If I search NetBackup for VMware Administrator's Guide for GRT, this is what I find:
For Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL applications, NetBackup for VMware
supports Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) restores from full backups only.AD or Active Directory does not appear in this manual.
So, my guess is that it is unsupported or else undocumented.If you need GRT, then probably best to treat the DC as a normal client.
There is confusion at the top of the thread because terminology in Backup Exec differs from NetBackup.
To rephrase the question, what kind of GRT restore can I do from a VMware backup?
Answer: Normal files, Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL Server. Not AD.
For AD GRT, you need to make an MS-Windows backup. It does use a snapshot, but the snapshot is taken on the client, not from the the outside as in a VMware backup.
Reason: Active Directory uses a database, with the same JET database engine as Exchange uses. Exchange restores from a VMware backup need an agent on the VM to work with the Exchange VSS writer. Restores (whether database or GRT) work with the Exchange VSS writer, using metadata captured by the backup ASC job and data from the VMware backup image. AD restores would take parallel work, which we didn't do.
